The Wrought Iron Witch
by Ebilein
Summary: An enigmatic note Lily left on a photograph makes Harry think that, maybe, his mother knew more than anyone....
1. Another Any Day

Title: **Harry Potter and the Wrought Iron Witch**

Author: **ebilein**

Spoilers: **PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP, HBP, QA, FB**

Rating: **PG-13**

Most (or rather, pretty much all) of the characters, including but not limited to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Lily, Ginny etc., are (c) J.K.Rowling. I'm only have a little bit fun with them, no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

-CHAPTER ONE-

_**Another Any Day**_

Raindrops were drumming violently against the bedroom window. The small room seemed to be even tinier than usual, because now, not just one, but two big heavy trunks lay open on the floor, their contents spilling out and cluttering the room with a medley of robes, T-shirts, trousers, books, quills, and much more. The surface of the desk was obscured by two cages crammed tightly together, and two broomsticks (one labelled with golden letters _Firebolt,_ the other one _Cleansweep_) were leaning against the wardrobe. Next to the bed, a mattress had been forced onto the last bit of unoccupied floor.

On the bedside table there were two pieces of parchment, one of which looked very official, written neatly in curly letters of blue ink:

_Dear Harry James Potter and Ronald Bilius Weasley,_

_You are hereby invited to the Wedding of Belle Fleur Antoinette Delacour and Bill Fabian Weasley. The Wedding will take place on Friday, August first at the Burrow near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. The festivities will start at two o'clock p.m. We ask that those wizards capable of Apparition not directly Apparate to the Burrow._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Bride and Groom._

The other one was rather more like a letter sent to a family or a friend, as it wasn't as courtly in tone:

_Dear Harry and Ron,_

_Madam Pomfrey finally let Bill come home to the Burrow, we are so glad he's back, we'd all missed him. Of course, we started with preparations for the wedding immediately - we think it will hold place on first of August, but you are going to receive a formal invitation anyway, of course._

_Fleur's sister Gabrielle, her brother and her parents are going to arrive some days before the Wedding, because Fleur wants Ginny and Gabrielle, the bridesmaids, to practise waltz and also to make sure that their dresses match. Mr and Mrs Delacour were very excited and told us they want that they want to be 'included' in preparations as well._

_I hope you two are behaving - especially you, Ron, I don't want the Dursleys to get a wrong impression of wizardry (or at least don't make it any worse). And please don't try to fix everything with magic now that you've finally come of age, because you have two hands and they haven't been given to you without a purpose._

_Harry, we would be delighted to have you stay with us after the wedding until school starts again, if it does. Hermione can stay too, of course._

_We don't know yet at what time the ceremony is going to start, but we'd be glad to have you two here in the morning at home, to have a look at the state of your dress robes - and of course we can't wait to see you again. Since Ron failed the Apparition test and you, Harry dear, haven't taken it yet, we don't know how you two are going to come to the Burrow. Arthur suggested connecting the Dursleys' fireplace to the Floo Network to get you home as fast as possible._

_Please write back so we know how you're going to come._

_I hope you're fine, and I miss you two,_

_Mum_

The two to whom the letters were addressed had read them thoroughly many times, but now they were downstairs in the dining room of the Dursley family, having dinner (or, as they would have called it, 'the Last Supper', for it was to be their last night dining with the Dursleys).

Harry Potter was sitting there, his glasses framing emerald green eyes, his black hair as untidy as ever, next to Ron Weasley, his best friend, who had been staying the last month with him at the Dursleys' as he had promised the last day of school.

The Dursleys were acting as though Harry and Ron weren't present - as if they didn't exist at all. Vernon Dursley was talking to his wife, Petunia, about his firm called Grunnings and about the drills they produced for some building project called 'New Brockdale Bridge'. Dudley, their vast and fat son, wasn't listening but watching TV in his portable TV-set.

'... so I tell you, this Brockdale Bridge is a big step forward, we might really manage to get a holiday home in Majorca this time,' Vernon said, grinning broadly as if this was his life's aspiration.

Harry shook his head slightly. He still could not really believe he was going to quit the Dursleys - forever. That he would never ever again have to stay at his aunt and uncle's house. That he would finally be free...

But no, that was not true; Harry had never been free. The first year of his life, maybe, when his parents still had lived, when he had had a real home, a place where he had felt safe - but he couldn't remember. All he did remember was the jet of green light that had killed his mother, the horrible laughter of her murderer...

Since then, he had been locked up in his own life. First with the Dursleys who hated him, then the Prophecy that would either make him a murderer or a corpse, then his task of destroying the darkest wizard of all times...

'One could've thought they might say something,' Ron said quietly, looking at Harry. 'Or rather, _anything._ I mean, it's your birthday, and they act... they act as if it's any day.'

'Well, to tell the truth, the Dursleys always have acted as if my birthday was any day,' Harry answered. 'Though it is true that sometimes they did give me some of Uncle Vernon's old socks.'

He hadn't bothered to murmur or talk quietly - he did not really care about what the Dursleys thought anymore.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia gaped at him, not quite believing that Harry would have ever dared to insult them so directly. Dudley, however, was still watching TV. Being the extraordinarily fat, self-absorbed teenager he was, he wouldn't even have noticed an atomic bomb crashing down on the lawn in the garden outside.

Eventually, Uncle Vernon found the use of speech again. 'As I was telling you, Petunia, the weather in Majorca is Mediterranean; you remember our honeymoon we spent there? It was just...'

Turning to Ron, Harry said, 'So what time can we go to the Burrow by Floo Powder tomorrow?'

Ron screwed up his face, thinking. 'I think dad said eight o'clock. Or, wait, was it half past seven? Nah, eight o'clock.'

'You sure?'

'Course I am,' Ron said, grinning. 'I can't wait to be there, all the good food, my family, and I finally can show everyone my new dress robes! Oh, and Hermione, of course.'

'I'm a little bit sorry for her,' Harry said. 'I mean, she wanted to stay here, too, but her parents -'

'I think they were just worried,' Ron said. 'It's not as if it's easy to leave your children alone, even if they want to.'

'Whoa,' Harry said, 'I'm impressed. Did you come up with that all by yourself?'

'Yes, I did.' Ron grinned even more broadly, but then his face tightened and he was serious again. 'Is it going to be okay, you know, with Ginny and you being in the same place?'

Harry smiled weakly. 'I think it has to be; after all, I don't want to ruin Bill's wedding. And I'm not going to stay for too long, you remember? I'm going to be off to Godric's Hollow.'

'As well as me and Hermione will be,' Ron said, nodding. 'I didn't forget it. It just seems... well, kind of unreal, you and me and Hermione in Godric's Hollow... what we're going to do?'

'I don't know yet... visit the grave, probably, yeah. And maybe... well, I'd like to see where I would have lived if they hadn't died.'

'But the house you lived in, it was destroyed, wasn't it?'

'Yeah, it was.' Harry looked down at his dinner plate. It was as if the topics they were talking about kept getting worse... first Ginny... then his parents... 'I'd love to see the garden, though. I wonder whether there were any trees, or... this sounds stupid, I know.'

'No, it doesn't, it doesn't at all,' Ron said.

They fell quiet and listened to Uncle Vernon talking more about Majorca, Aunt Petunia nodding here and there and sometimes saying things like 'Ah, really?', 'I can't remember that' and 'Oh yes, it was really beautiful'.

'I'm wondering if they're going to reopen Hogwarts, though,' Ron said suddenly. 'Not as if I'd go back if they were, because me and Hermione, we're going to come with you, of course.'

Harry hesitated a few seconds before saying, 'You know, you don't have to -'

'I know I don't have to, and Hermione knows as well,' Ron interrupted him. 'But we're best friends, so it would be kind of thick not to go with you. We want to. We want to help you.'

Harry smiled. 'Thanks.'

'Still, if Hogwarts did reopen, it would never be the same. I mean, you can't just lose someone like Dumbledore and then... well... Things would be different, I suppose.'

Well, they had reached about the worst and gravest topic imaginable: the death of Albus Dumbledore, former Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had been murdered by none other than Severus Snape, one of his staff members, and even just thinking about it made Harry feel sick.

'Yeah, things would be different. Like Snape changing sides. Or rather, not changing them. I still can't believe Dumbledore trusted Snape... he trusted him so badly... only because Snape said he was sorry for something he obviously wished could happen since his childhood.'

'What I can't really believe is that Dumbledore didn't tell you,' Ron said.

'Well, of course he wouldn't, because he knew I would get mad.'

'Of course you would,' Ron said wisely, 'because it's his fault your parents died.'

Harry didn't answer this time. Instead, he reached for a locket he was wearing on a chain around his neck. It was golden, with a smooth surface, not particularly heavy, and shining in the light of the setting sun. With a slight _click_ he opened it, and took out a piece of parchment he already knew by heart, which he had read over and over again, looking for clues, anything that would help him solve this problem.

'Do you want to talk about R.A.B.?' Ron asked.

'I don't know if I want to talk about him,' Harry said. He sighed and shuffled the little piece of parchment back into the locket. 'We've always talked about him the past few weeks; I think everything's been said. We have to talk to somebody else, but we can't, and it's driving me mad. I still can't believe Dumbledore's been killed because of - nothing.'

Ron looked at Harry, who could tell Ron didn't know what to say.

'Come on... I was just ranting on about it without thinking,' Harry said, 'it's not nothing.' He added this bit, trying to convince himself more than Ron. 'What I want to say, it's not going to be easy. After all, we have to look for four Horcruxes, one of which we're not even sure what it is. It's not going to be easy, it really isn't, but it's not impossible, or Dumbledore wouldn't have told me about them.'

'Yeah, you're right,' Ron said. 'And anyway, I bet Hermione's already looking for, like, you know anyone in history with the initials R.A.B.'

'Yes, she's probably doing it right now,' Harry said, thinking of the letter Hermione had written to Harry and Ron in the first week of the holidays. In the letter she had said she was searching through all the books she possessed, Wizard and Muggle books alike.

'Let's go upstairs, all right? To get our stuff packed,' Harry said eventually, and he and Ron got up and left the dining room. None of the Dursleys seemed to take any notice at all.

They entered Harry's bedroom on the first floor - and Ron let out a yelp.

A creature was standing amidst the chaos Harry and Ron were about to clean up. It took Harry, who was completely taken aback, some seconds to find his voice, _'Kreacher.'_

He hadn't changed a bit since the last time they'd seen him; he was just as old and wizened and still clothed in nothing but a towel bearing the Hogwarts School crest. Mumbling angrily, the house-elf looked at his master.

'Oh, the young master has finally come to his sleeping place,' he said slimily and adding in a clearly audible tone under his breath, 'that dump amidst Muggles, filthy little creatures not worth living anywhere near wizards and witches, but then the young master and his ugly friend are not real wizards at all, a Mudblood and a Blood Traitor, nearly as bad as Muggles themselves, who at least remain a race apart, not meddling and -'

'Er, Kreacher,' Harry said, 'we both can hear what you're saying.'

'See,' Ron added, 'you're not exactly keeping your voice down.'

With big lamp-like eyes, Kreacher scowled at Harry and Ron. 'Oh, yes, the master and his friend can hear Kreacher; of course, they have two ears each after all... little ugly fleshy things sticking out of their big heads -'

'And they're working perfectly fine,' Ron said, his ears turning a rather dark shade of red.

'What are you doing here, Kreacher?' Harry said. 'Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts?'

'Kreacher was at Hogwarts, oh yes, there he was, living among the other elves in that pitiful school which has lost all prestige it has ever had, now under that new Headmistress Professor McGonagall - that unworthy person, nearly as bad as Dumbledore himself was, all of them allowing Mudbloods in school. Oh yes, the last good and sane Headmaster was my grandmother's dear Master Phineas Nigellus Black -'

'Stop ranting about your oh-so-great-family-of-Black,' Harry said angrily. It even gave a painful throb through his whole body saying that, as it reminded him of his godfather Sirius, who had been the last heir of the Black family.

'As Master wishes, as Master wishes... as Master wishes Kreacher shall act,' the house-elf said, bowing deep before Harry.

Harry folded his arms, waiting for Kreacher to get up. 'Well, I'm waiting.'

'Waiting for what, oh dear Master of me,' Kreacher said, remaining deeply bowed.

Harry rolled his eyes.

'Kreacher, get up.'

Kreacher straightened up at once, watching Harry and Ron with a distinct look of disgust on his face, matching that which Ron had on his own face as he looked at Kreacher.

'Now, tell me why you're here.'

Still glaring at Harry and Ron as if he wanted to kill them with his regards, Kreacher finally said, 'Kreacher was sent to his home, and apparently, home is wherever Kreacher's master or mistress is.'

'Well, all right,' Harry said, trying to remain calm. Kreacher seemed to enjoy provoking Harry. 'You were sent. Sent by whom?'

'Sent by Professor Horace Edmund Fulton Slughorn, Head of House of Slytherin, wealthiest and purest and most ancient house of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by the famous and -'

'We know Slytherin House was founded by Slytherin,' Ron interrupted Kreacher. 'It's not as if we haven't got History in school - or, well, as if we hadn't.'

'Yeah, don't beat about the bush,' Harry said. 'So you were sent by Slughorn. Why?'

Kreacher said, sulking, 'Kreacher was sent to his rightful master by Professor Slughorn of Slytherin, because Professor Slughorn himself had been asked by the newly appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to remind Harry Potter that the charm of the former Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore protecting the "Boy who Lived" is going to end the very first second the day his birthday ends.'

'That's midnight, I suppose?' Harry said, looking at Ron, whose mouth was slightly open.

Ron looked bewildered. 'Er, Kreacher, could you repeat that?' he asked.

Kreacher glared disdainfully at Ron. 'Kreacher is not going to repeat any syllable to the Blood Traitor, the little bastard of the biggest blood betraying family Kreacher ever had to look at, oh yes, Kreacher is not going to forget the months at my mistress's house, befuddled by this unworthy pack of people, werewolves and criminals and traitors and Mudbloods... Grimmauld Place Number 12 has been desecrated by the dirty feet of -'

'That's _enough!'_ Harry said loudly. He breathed deeply, and then said calmly, 'Is there anything else you've got to tell me?'

'Yes, my dear Master, Kreacher does have something else to say,' Kreacher said, once again bowing deeply.

_'Well?'_ Harry said.

'Well what, Master Potter?' Kreacher said with a malicious grin.

'What else do you have to say? Tell me,' Harry said impatiently.

'What more Kreacher has to tell you is that the new Headmistress wants to talk to you as fast as possible,' Kreacher said.

'Why?' Harry asked.

'The Headmistress did not confide in Professor Slughorn who therefore could not confide in Kreacher.'

'Well, good, then... If that's all you've got to tell me - it's all, isn't it?' Harry asked suspiciously.

Kreacher nodded.

'All right, then you go back to Hogwarts,' Harry said, adding hastily, 'on the _direct_ way. No stopping at any other places, like Grimmauld Place, or the Malfoy's, or anywhere - return to Hogwarts. And stay there.'

'As Master wishes,' Kreacher said, straightening up and vanishing with a _crack._

'Wow, you were really precise with your orders,' Ron said, sitting down on the mattress and thrusting shirts and robes and trousers into his trunk.

'You've got to be precise with Kreacher,' Harry said, starting to pack his books into his trunk. 'I don't want him wandering around, you know... not after...'

He stopped speaking and thrust his Sneakoscope into his trunk. Ron, however, stopped packing, turning to Harry. 'You mean, after him betraying Sirius and getting him killed?'

Harry simply nodded.

It was strange: Even more than a year after his godfather's death, he still couldn't get how it had happened... He had fallen through a veil, that was all, it wasn't something that killed you… unless, of course, the veil happened to stand in the secret Department of Mysteries.

It was all so unfair; Harry could have kicked the trunk. All the people he loved ended up dead... his parents, his godfather... Dumbledore...

He dried his eyes with his black school robes. Without realising it, he had started to cry. Ron had deliberately returned to packing, not saying anything, and Harry was thankful for that.

Throughout the rest of the time it took to clean up Harry's room and pack everything into their trunks, Harry and Ron remained quiet. Despite the smallness of the room, it nearly took two hours to pack everything, mostly due to the room's state of extreme untidiness. At last, however, the only things that weren't packed were the furniture, the two brooms, and the two cages on the desk.

'I wouldn't mind Hedwig not coming before we leave,' Harry said finally, throwing himself onto his bed. 'She definitely wouldn't want to go to the Burrow by Floo Powder, and she knows that's the only place I would want to be right now, so she'll find us if we're not here anymore.'

'Yeah, I know what you mean,' Ron said, stretching on the mattress. 'Pig's always so excited - I don't think Floo Powder travelling would do him any good.'

Harry looked at the clock he had repaired seven summers ago. Suddenly he remembered everything that had happened to him since then... it was marvellous, but simultaneously scary and disturbing.

He and Ron took off their clothes, put on their pyjamas and then lay down onto the bed.

It was one minute before midnight.

Harry closed his eyes, calming down. His birthday was over, he was seventeen now - he could legally do magic outside school. He could go and try to finish what Dumbledore had started.

The very first second after midnight, Harry bolted up. He looked around, irritated. He had heard a noise, quite distinctive. It had reminded him of the _crack_ Kreacher had emitted the moment he had vanished into thin air.

The noise of Apparition.

It had come from outside, he was sure.

'What's the matter, Harry?' Ron said, sitting up as well. He looked at Harry in bewilderment.

'Quiet!' Harry hissed.

'Wh-?'

With a jerk of his head, Harry guided Ron's eyes to the clock.

Thirty seconds past midnight.

'So the charm's been lifted,' Ron whispered. 'What are you worrying about?'

_Crack._

There it was again. And this time, Ron heard it as well. They stood up and hurried quietly to the window.

It was a dark night; no moon shone in the sky, and the stars were covered by dusty mist and clouds. The lanterns were glowing gloomily and cast the whole neighbourhood in orange light.

Something was moving out there.

Ron gasped.

Two shadowy figures were standing on the street, closely together; they wore long, jet black cloaks.

_Crack._

A third shadow appeared out of nowhere, three metres away from where the two were already standing. He joined them. Harry couldn't make out their faces. Squinting through his glasses, he said to Ron, without turning away from the scenery they both witnessed, 'Death Eaters?'

Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could see Ron shrugging. 'Still, nothing good, I bet,' he added in a whisper.

Suddenly, Harry heard another sound, a softly trembling tone, ringing in his ears. Ron turned away, looking at the trunks. 'I think it's coming from yours,' he said.

'The Sneakoscope,' Harry said. 'We've got to wake the Dursleys and get out of here.'

'How?' Ron asked.

'We could try and Apparate, guide two of the Dursleys... the third one has to take one of our brooms,' Harry said, trying to stay calm, but it wasn't easy.

Death Eaters. _Death Eaters._

They were standing outside, right in front of Privet Drive, Number four. There were three Death Eaters, all of them big, grown up and on top of their magical power. On the other side, there were two wizards who hadn't even completed their studies, and the Dursleys.

'I've got to wake up the Dursleys,' Harry said. 'You take the brooms downstairs.'

'Too late, I fear,' Ron said, shaking slightly. 'Better take your wand, boy, they're already coming up the front lawn.'

Desperate, Harry closed his eyes for a second.

The house shook and even through his closed eyes, Harry could see a dazzling jet of light. A loud, crashing noise and wood splintering. They had blasted away the front door.

From next to his room, Harry could hear Uncle Vernon screaming, 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'

Harry turned to face Ron, who was still trembling. His face was ashen white.

'Grab your wand,' Harry said, drawing his own one.

They opened the door and peered out. The very moment the Dursleys' bedroom door opened and Uncle Vernon came bolting out, screaming, 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, POTTER?'

Harry would have very much loved to punch Uncle Vernon for saying this. Another door opened, and Dudley came out, his eyes almost closed. 'Wha's goin' on?' he mumbled.

Aunt Petunia followed Uncle Vernon out of the bedroom. She ran to Dudley, grabbing Vernon's arm and pulling him with her. She was talking too, rather to herself than to anyone else, 'They've come, they've come... they've come to take us all.'

'Not quite right,' another voice sounded from the stairs. Harry knew this voice; he had already heard it before. 'We will take the little Potter boy, but the rest - yes, the rest are going to die.'

It was Bellatrix Lestrange.

Her eyes were wide open, her black hair falling around her face in dark, shiny sheets, a wand held in her hand; however, she did not wear a white mask to hide her face as the two who followed her did; Harry was quite sure those were Rodolphus, Bellatrix's husband, and Rodolphus's brother Rabastan.

Harry stepped forward, his wand in his hand, facing the woman who had killed his godfather. 'Let the others go; you've come to get me, after all.'

Bellatrix laughed shortly, her eyes fixed upon Harry. Then she said, sneering, 'Oh no, you are not in the position to negotiate. The Dark Lord wants you, and it will be _me_ who brings you to him.'

'Oh, yeah, you want to try and make up for your miserable performance in the Department of Mysteries?' Ron said loudly from the doorway.

Harry thought for a second Bellatrix was going to curse Ron for saying this, but then she sneered even wider. 'Oh, I wouldn't call it a miserable performance, seeing that I killed my wayward cousin,' she laughed coldly, penetrating Harry with her eyes.

Harry screwed up his face, feeling searing pain in his chest; he had to stay calm to fight her, he mustn't get angry, it was what she was trying to do so that he would not be able to concentrate and fight her.

'But you two were there, weren't you?' Bellatrix said with a fanatic grin. 'You didn't bother to help him, though, did you? Cowardice won't save you any longer, Potter...

'Find your fate!'

As she raised her wand without saying anything, Harry instantly knew she was about to perform a non-verbal spell. He screamed, _'Protego!'_

Flashes of light ricocheted around the corridor. The Dursleys screamed, filled with fear.

Next to him, Ron raised his wand, too, screaming, _'Expelliarmus!'_

One of the other Death Eaters lost his wand; the small piece of wood disappeared down the staircase, clunking slightly as it fell to the ground.

_'Expelliarmus!'_ Harry yelled, but Bellatrix moved her wand and the flash of Harry's jinx simply disappeared.

_'Crucio!'_ snapped the other Death Eater, who still had his wand.

Ron froze, not able to move for a moment, and then fell to the floor, screaming in agony.

_'Stupefy!'_ Harry screamed, and his wand emitted a red flash of light, shooting towards the Death Eater.

The spell hit the Death Eater, who collapsed, but Bellatrix shrieked, _'Expelliarmus!'_

Harry fell to the floor, losing grip of his wand, which clattered onto the ground near Dudley. Harry looked at Bellatrix, disgust in his face; she was leering, showing her teeth, and suddenly pictures rushed past Harry's inner eye...

A golden locket, its surface engraved with a serpentine 'S'… A diary, stabbed in the centre by a giant tooth, torrents of ink spilling out… A cup with two finely wrought handles… A big snake, crawling in high grass -

Harry opened his eyes. He felt pain above his left eye... there was a scratch, blood flowing down all over his face. Ron was lying next to him on the floor, his eyes still closed. He seemed to be unconscious.

Harry's and Ron's wands lay too far away from him; he couldn't reach them.

He could have slapped himself... Of course, Bellatrix was a Legilimens, or she wouldn't have been able to teach Malfoy Occlumency...

She had read Harry's mind...

She _knew..._

'What did the Master's snake do in your thoughts?' Bellatrix screamed, approaching Harry.

'Who is your Master, anyway?' Uncle Vernon said behind Harry. 'And what are you doing here?'

The other conscious Death Eater took his brother's wand and approached the Dursleys. 'Don't you dare talk to my wife,' he said (and Harry thought, "So this must be Rodolphus"), 'you filthy piece of flesh.'

Aunt Petunia nudged Dudley slightly in the ribs, jerking her head towards the wands lying in front of him. None of the Death Eaters seemed to notice.

Bellatrix laughed madly, her wand still pointing at Harry. 'My master is none other than the Dark Lord, and I am his most faithful servant, and he knows! I'm going to bring him Harry Potter! At last! It is not my duty to ask you what Nagini does in your thoughts, the Dark Lord will know...'

Dudley moved a few inches forward. The Death Eaters seemed to be too distracted by their obvious victory over Harry Potter to notice him. Dudley knelt down, grasping the wand with his fat fingers.

'Let's get it done, Bella,' Rodolphus said.

Bellatrix nodded.

'Let's see, who's going to be first...' she said, her grinning face full of malice. 'Potter's little friend is going to be last, it's going to hurt most to see him go, I know... they fought in... Where was it? The place where I killed my good-for-nothing cousin?'

'As if you would forget that,' Harry said through clenched teeth. 'The place where he lost what he wanted most. Due to _your_ faults.'

_'Silence!'_ Bellatrix screamed. 'It was _not_ my fault! It wasn't! IT WAS NOT MY FAULT!'

'Calm down,' Rodolphus said, not at all disturbed. The way he spoke made it clear that he was used to Bellatrix's tantrums. 'Let's kill them and get the job done.'

Bellatrix was about to retort, opening her mouth and looking infuriated, before seeming to calm down and say, 'I like your idea, Dolphus. I'm going to kill the fat man first; it'll take a strong charm to finish him off and I want to be on top form for Potter's little friend...'

Ron moaned silently, opening his eyes at last. Uncle Vernon shuddered, his forehead now gleaming with sweat as Bellatrix raised her wand arm.

What came to pass after that happened very quickly. Bellatrix brought her wand down, which emitted jets of light; Uncle Vernon cried out, horrified; Ron got to his feet, dread in his eyes; Harry gasped.

And Aunt Petunia screamed at the top of her voice, _'MOVE IT!'_

For a split second Harry didn't understand what she meant by that, until he saw Dudley, who was trembling and terrified, moving Harry's wand through the air. He did not say any magic words, he obviously didn't know what he was doing, but a bright light was suddenly filling the corridor, blinding the Death Eaters who screamed, trying to regain sight.

Harry, blinded by the dazzling light as well, searched for Ron's wand on the floor. His hands finally found the stick; he waved it, screaming, _'Accio Brooms!'_

He sensed the Firebolt coming to a halt next to him and could tell that the Cleansweep was suspended somewhere near Ron. Harry yelled, 'Mount it and flee! Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, hold on to any of us two or the brooms!'

'They want to flee!' Bellatrix shrieked. 'Stop them! Stop them!' And with these words she cast one curse after another, hoping that any of them would meet one of her targets. _'Crucio! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Stupefy! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!'_

Then Harry, who had mounted his broom and held out his hand, hoping one of the Dursleys would grasp it, heard something else - more cracking noises.

_Crack._

_Crack._

_Crack._

_Crack._

'Get them!' Harry heard a man's voice shout - a voice he already knew. 'Get the Death Eaters!'

'Aurors!' Rodolphus yelled horror-struck. Another crack. Harry was sure he had Disapparated.

Then Bellatrix shrieked for the last time, _'AVADA KEDAVRA!'_

The dazzling light vanished the second she Disapparated. Then something - someone behind Harry fell to the floor.

He remained there with his hand out behind him, but he had no hope that anyone would grasp it anymore.

* * *

TBC in Chapter II, _Dudley's Dread_, in which we'll return to the burrow, meet the new Head of Aurors and finally get to know a little bit more about the Dursley family.

Reviews are appreciated :)


	2. Dudley's Dread

Title: **Harry Potter and the Wrought Iron Witch**

Author: **ebilein**

Spoilers: **PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP, HBP, QA, FB**

Rating: **PG-13**

Most (or rather, pretty much all) of the characters, including but not limited to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Lily, Ginny etc., are (c) J.K.Rowling. I'm only have a little bit fun with them, no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

-CHAPTER TWO-

_**Dudley's Dread **_

Harry didn't dare to look back. He swallowed, imagining what could have happened.

Now that the dazzling light had vanished, he could see the faces of the Aurors: Kingsley Shacklebolt, a tall, bald black wizard wearing a single golden earring, Nymphadora Tonks with her heart shaped face, and two other wizards Harry recognised—Williamson and Dawlish, both of whom had tried to arrest Albus Dumbledore more than a year ago.

The Aurors were looking past Harry, their faces horror-struck.

Then Harry heard something move behind him. He turned around, the broomstick still in his hands.

He felt the urge to vomit.

It wasn't the first time he had seen bodies. He had seen Cedric Diggory, whose grey eyes had lost all life in them, and he had seen Dumbledore's corpse after he had fallen from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.

But he had never before seen the corpse of a Muggle who had been murdered through magic.

Uncle Vernon was lying on his back on the floor, his eyes empty, still clad in his morning gown. His mouth was slightly open.

One of Bellatrix's killing curses must have hit him.

Dudley was lying next to him. His arms were outstretched, he was still in his pyjamas, holding Harry's wand. He was dead; Harry knew it instantly, although he didn't seem to be harmed at all. He was just dead.

Aunt Petunia was standing next to them, her eyes wide in shock, her lips trembling in horror. She shook her head a little, then closed her eyes, as if she were hoping to wake up from this nightmare.

But she wouldn't. Harry knew what she felt; it was what he had felt when Dumbledore had lain in the grass, his glasses askew, his limbs out at odd angles.

It was no nightmare; it was real.

Harry still stood there, not really seeing what had happened. His uncle and his cousin just had been murdered, by none other than the woman who had also killed his godfather. If it was possible, he loathed Bellatrix even more than ever before.

Dawlish and Williamson took a few steps towards Aunt Petunia. They were trying to speak to her, but she didn't seem to understand a word of what they were saying. Kingsley approached the still stupefied Rabastan Lestrange; Bellatrix and her husband had left their fellow Death Eater behind.

Tonks got closer to Harry and Ron. She said quietly, 'You'd better go to the Burrow, right now. There's nothing you can do anymore. The Ministry is going to have to worry about it from now on.'

Ron seemed to be too shocked to argue about anything. Harry's head, however, was getting clearer. Aunt Petunia's crying still ringing in his ears, he said, 'Aren't you going to follow them? The Death Eaters?'

Tonks lowered her head. 'We can't. We don't know where they are now—they Disapparated, they could be anywhere. You know what?' she said, turning to Kingsley. 'Are you going to be all right with Lestrange? I think it'd be better for them to leave this place.'

Kingsley nodded. 'Where are you going to take them? We might have to ask them a few questions.'

'The Burrow. They were going to go there anyway this morning,' Tonks answered.

'You two have passed your Apparition tests?' Kingsley asked Harry and Ron.

They shook their heads.

'Well, then... Tonks, guide them if you please.'

'You've already Side-Along-Apparated, I suppose?' Tonks asked them. Harry nodded; Ron, however, shook his head. 'Don't worry,' Tonks said, 'it's not difficult. Just hold on to my arms.' They did as they were told. 'I'm going to see to it that your things will be sent to you in the morning. And now...'

The Apparition sensation was as unpleasant as ever, and Harry was glad when their feet hit the ground again.

It was dark, the grass was wet with dew and the and the wind was whispering quietly as it flowed among the trees. The Burrow, the Weasleys' family residence, was dark. Not one window was illuminated. Apparently, everyone was asleep.

Harry and Ron let go of Tonks, and Harry, whose head seemed to be exploding with questions since they left Privet Drive, Number four, burst out loud, 'What's going to happen to the Dursleys? What about Aunt Petunia? How did you know that Death Eaters were in Privet Drive? Wha--'

Tonks put her index finger on Harry's lips to stop his flood of questions.

'Shhh, everyone's asleep,' she said. 'And I doubt I'll be able to answer all your questions.' When Harry began to start speaking again, she added hastily, 'But I'm going to try and answer all the other ones, but we've got to go inside first, it's not safe outside anymore.

'_Expecto patronum!'_

A big silver shining wolf erupted from Tonks's wand. It flew through the air and entered the house. Harry knew Tonks had just informed the Weasleys that she was standing outside, waiting to be able to enter the house.

One window suddenly glowed with bright orange light, and a few minutes later Mrs Weasley's voice sounded from the other side of the front door.

'Is it you, Tonks?'

'Yes, Molly,' Tonks said. 'I've brought along Ron and Harry, please let us in.'

'Ron? And Harry?' They heard a key being inserted into the lock, a clicking noise, and then the door opened and Mrs Weasley ran outside, hugging Ron and Harry tightly. Harry was vaguely reminded of Hagrid's hugs, those had always made him feel as if his ribs were crushed.

'I'm so glad to see the two of you all right,' Mrs Weasley said, 'it's been such a long time... More than a month...'

'We'd better get in quickly,' Tonks said, looking around. 'I've just told them it's no good to be outside of the house for too long.'

'Yes, yes, you're right, of course,' Mrs Weasley said. 'Let's get in, let's get in...'

Five minutes later, they were sitting in the kitchen. Prodded by Mrs Weasley's wand, the tea kettle and cups began preparing tea. The Weasley matron sat across from Harry and Ron, next to Tonks.

'But why did you bring them here, Tonks?' she asked. 'We expected them today in the morning, yes, but _that_ early? It's one o'clock! Not that I wouldn't be happy to see you two,' she added hastily.

'There was... well, an attack, Molly,' Tonks said, 'but don't worry, they're fine.'

'An - an attack?' Mrs Weasley whispered, horrified, looking from Harry to Ron to Tonks, who nodded.

Harry was staring at the floating cups. And Ron spoke, for the first time since he had been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse. 'It was Death Eaters. The Lestranges. They came to get Harry. We fought.'

Mrs Weasley's face was ashen white and her hands were trembling slightly, but she stood up, went around the table and sat down again, next to Ron. She embraced him.

'They killed Harry's uncle and cousin,' Tonks added gravely.

Harry shook his head. 'Not "they",' he said. 'It was Bellatrix.'

'I can't believe this person's supposed to be my aunt,' Tonks said.

'They - they killed Mr Dursley? And his son?' Mrs Weasley said in disbelief.

'But Tonks,' Harry said, suddenly remembering something as Mrs Weasley mentioned Dudley, 'Dudley...he did do magic, but then - he couldn't have. He's a Muggle. He can't be anything but a Muggle, or he would have been sent to Hogwarts.'

Tonks shrugged. 'I'm not an expert in genealogy, but his aunt was a witch, after all -'

At that moment someone knocked at the door.

'I'll go open the door, Molly,' Tonks said. 'You'd better stay with them.'

When Mrs Weasley had nodded, Tonks got up and left the room. Then Mrs Weasley turned to Harry and Ron. Her lips were trembling.

'I'm... Oh, Ron, if I had known what could have happened... And Harry, you, too, I wouldn't have let you return to the Dursleys,' she said, tears falling from her eyes and running down her cheeks.

'Don't worry, mum,' Ron said.

'Dumbledore wanted me to return to them,' Harry said.

Mrs Weasley wiped her face, and then turned to Harry. 'You, dear... how are you feeling? Oh, what a silly question it is, I know - after what has happened - you could have been killed, oh no, and I wouldn't have even known... You could've been killed like your uncle and your cousin - but... your aunt, Mrs Dursley, is she still alive?' Mrs Weasley asked Harry.

He nodded, and then Tonks entered the room again, followed by Lupin and – and Aunt Petunia.

'Remus?' Mrs Weasley said, 'You here? And Mrs Dursley? How -?'

'Arabella told me,' Lupin answered, 'about the incident.'

'She also informed the Aurors,' Tonks said. 'Thank Merlin she was looking for her cat all over Little Whinging, or no one might have noticed the Death Eaters Apparate in Privet Drive.'

'I'm very sorry for your loss, Harry,' Lupin said. 'I know you weren't always too happy with your uncle and your cousin, but... well, anyway, you know what I mean. I've… seen them, I went to Privet Drive the moment Arabella told me something had happened there, but when I arrived Kingsley told me you'd already left for the Burrow.

'Dawlish and Williamson asked me to bring along your aunt, and I agreed.'

'Why don't you sit down, dear?' Mrs Weasley asked, guiding Aunt Petunia to a chair.

Aunt Petunia looked terrible. Her eyes were red; Harry doubted she had ever blinked since she had seen the blinding, dazzling light. Mrs Weasley helped her to sit down and then prepared two more cups of tea. She apparently didn't want to frighten Aunt Petunia with more magic, because she worked with nothing but her hands.

'The Aurors said they couldn't leave her in Privet Drive,' Lupin said. 'And I agree. One just couldn't leave her there... with, well...' Lupin sighed deeply. 'It's a terrible story, I think it's bound to come to the newspaper... Muggles murdered by Death Eaters in the house where _you_ lived, Harry... It's going to be a big story, not only in the _Prophet_ but also in the Ministry. I think someone's going to come to interrogate you two and your aunt soon, Harry.'

The very second Lupin had said it, someone knocked on the door, yet again. Tonks went to open it once more.

Aunt Petunia was oddly calm when she drank the tea Mrs Weasley had made. She wasn't screaming or shouting or trying to hit anyone, as Harry would have expected her to; after all, she had just lost her husband and her son, and she was in the kitchen of a family she despised for what it was, a family that once had even blown up her clinical, clean living room. She still seemed to be in a state of shock.

Then Tonks came back, accompanied by two men. The one right behind Tonks seemed to be very old; the top of his head was bald, but behind his ears long white hair fell down to his bony shoulders; he wore oval glasses and was holding a suitcase.

The other one was very brawny and Harry thought he looked rather like a bodybuilder. He seemed to be around Lupin's age - he had very short brown hair, tanned skin and dark blue eyes that were scanning the room the moment he entered it.

'Good evening,' the elderly one said; his voice was high and quavering. 'Or rather, not so good, seeing what we are here to discuss...'

'Mr Wiggleworth,' Lupin said, 'may I help you with your suitcase?'

'No, no, do not worry, young man,' Wiggleworth said. 'It's not that heavy, just a few pieces of parchment and quills.'

'Why don't you sit down, sir?' Mrs Weasley said. 'Do you want a cup of tea? Coffee? I even have cocoa...'

'Oh, no, thank you... but why don't you ask Gawain, I think he might be a little bit tired; Gawain Robards, in case you don't know him, but then, who doesn't know—he has quite a name these days in the Ministry, but one rarely has a chance to talk to him, always working hard... I think he could use a coffee, don't you?'

Robards nodded in a courtly manner and sat down next to Wiggleworth.

'Yes, it is quite hard-going lately, is it not?' Wiggleworth said while he took out unpacked several pieces of parchment—some upon which something had already been written, some blank—and a large quill. 'Quite busy nowadays, isn't it, and then you're Head, too—that makes twice the amount of work, I guess.'

Robards did not answer, but looked sternly around the room.

Mrs Weasley placed a cup of coffee on the table. Robards did not thank her.

'Well, well, we are here because of the terrible incident in Little Whinging,' Wiggleworth said. 'Terrible, terrible of course... well, everyone that was present there now present here?'

Tonks answered, 'Everyone except the other three Aurors that were sent there with me -'

'Full names, please,' Wiggleworth said.

'Kingsley Devin Shacklebolt, who led the troop, Julian Jeremiah Williamson and Ethan - does anyone know if Dawlish has a middle name?' Tonks asked.

Everyone in the room shook their heads.

'And Ethan Dawlish,' Tonks said.

'Anyone else?' Wiggleworth asked.

'The three Death Eaters that caused the incident,' Tonks said, 'one of them has been captured – Rabastan Lestrange. The other two fled and were Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Estelle Lestrange.'

'Very good, very good,' Wiggleworth said. 'Now, who else?'

'Ronald Bilius Weasley,' Ron said.

'Nymphadora Cardea Tonks,' Tonks said.

'Harry James Potter. And... er, my aunt, Petunia Anne Dursley.'

'Well, well,' Wiggleworth said. 'The victims?'

Aunt Petunia swallowed loudly, but did not answer. Harry answered, not feeling very well at all. 'Vernon Webster Dursley and Dudley Raymond Dursley.'

'Very good, very good... but no, I am sorry, it is not good at all, not good at all,' Wiggleworth said quickly. 'Any Muggles involved?'

'Sir, the victims were Muggles,' Tonks said. 'And Mrs Dursley is a Muggle, too.'

'But wait,' Harry interrupted before Wiggleworth could note it down, 'it's not that simple! My cousin, Dudley, he performed a spell...'

'And this Dudley, he was how old?' Wiggleworth asked.

'Seventeen,' Harry said.

'Therefore of age and able to perform magic if he wishes to do so -'

'But - but my cousin, you've just noted down that he is... was... a Muggle!' Harry interrupted him.

Wiggleworth was confused, but smiled politely and sympathetically. 'Your cousin, was he at Hogwarts? Was he a wizard?'

'MY SON IS NOT!'

Everyone turned around; Aunt Petunia was on her feet, her face pink with anger. She was breathing fast, looking at everyone in the room with a look of contempt and disgust.

'My son is not - he is _not_ - one of you! He isn't! My son is normal! He didn't do any funny stuff like my sister did, he didn't do anything these... these brats opposite you did, he didn't do anything the way you do! He didn't! He didn't! He never did! Never! _Never!_ NEVER!'

Then she sank back in her chair, shaking terribly. Wiggleworth looked at her, apparently taken aback by this outburst of emotion.

Robards, however, didn't seem to care at all. He sighed loudly, in a way that made clear to everyone that he was bored.

'Well, so this Dudley was _not_ a wizard,' Wiggleworth said.

'But not a Muggle either or he wouldn't have been able to perform the dazzling charm!' Harry interrupted him loudly.

'Was he born into a family with genes disposed towards magic?' Wiggleworth asked, looking at Aunt Petunia.

She shook her head, but before Wiggleworth could take any more notes, Harry said quickly, 'But his aunt - my mother - she was a witch. None of his grandparents were, though.'

'Well, well, well,' Wiggleworth said, writing it down. 'Did he perform anything magical before this incident?'

'No, I've never seen him doing something like that before, sir,' Harry said.

Wiggleworth wrote this down, too.

Suddenly Harry remembered something. Gasping, he said, 'But he must have done _something_! Aunt Petunia, didn't you tell Dudley to take the wand?'

Aunt Petunia didn't answer. Her lips were trembling.

'But you told him! You told him to take the wand and you told him to move it! So you must have known!'

'I KNEW!' Petunia suddenly screamed, once again jumping to her feet. 'I knew, but you—you were lying there on the floor, and your useless friend was unconscious, and we would have all been killed!'

Wiggleworth was writing as fast as possible with his quill. Robards still seemed to be very little interested.

'I knew he could do it, he had done it once before, I'll bet it was _you_ who influenced him,' she spat at Harry. 'Oh, if only I'd never let you stay with us! You brought all that bad luck into our house! Dementors, nearly sucking out Dudley's soul, just because of you!'

'And then this Dumbledore had to remind me that I promised, I promised him not to let you go away, because you were part of something, but I don't care anymore, it's your fault that Dudley and Vernon are... are...

'And Vernon didn't even know!' she screamed, tearing her hair. 'He was at work, I was alone with you two, and when Dudley did... did... did what he did... making the tea cups in the living room float—I was so angry, I was so scared, I… what if what happened to my sister happened to him too?

'So I scared him, yelled at him, and he was only four, and you - it's _your_ fault!'

After having said all this, she was shaking, gasping for breath, breathing fast and heavily, as if she could not believe she had just said all of that.

Harry looked at her in astonishment.

'So - so that was his worst memory, isn't it?' Harry finally said quietly. 'That's what he remembered when the Dementors came.'

Aunt Petunia didn't answer, but she didn't have to; Harry already knew it was true.

Lupin, Tonks, Mrs Weasley and Ron were gaping at Aunt Petunia. Wiggleworth was still furiously writing. Robards, however, took a look at his watch.

He turned to Wiggleworth and said in a deep, soft voice, 'Dempster, please, let us deal with this quickly. I'd rather be back in my office now and -'

Wiggleworth stretched out his arm to silence Robards.

'A little bit more sympathy, please, Gawain. It's always the same with the young,' he added, looking at Mrs Weasley, 'they want to do seven things at one time, but unfortunately they only have two hands and a wand.'

'I'd rather you talk to me with more respect,' Robards said angrily. 'After all, I know what happened to this Dudley kid.'

Harry gaped at Robards. 'So why didn't you tell us? Why did you let us talk about all this when you already knew what was wrong with him?'

Robards cast Harry a look of superiority. 'Because no one asked me,' he said superciliously. 'And you are wrong, yet again, Mr Potter, because there is nothing _wrong_ with this Dudley kid. He is just a plain Muggle, that is all there is to say.

'Magic is not an ability one has or one has not, although this is believed quite often by the uneducated man. Magic is power. Everyone has power. So everyone has magic. There are, however, more powerful wizards than others and those people can normally control their gift better than those others can. A wizard with great power will perform great spells, while a wizard with less power will perform poor spells. Magical power also increases with time, and might erupt if it is not trained or used.

'Even Muggles have power in them; not many wizards and witches are aware of this fact. Still, you can see it with as yet uneducated magical children: sometimes the magic, when suppressed for too long, erupts.

'Not many Muggles ever perform magic, because they simply have too little power. Some, however, manage to do so once or twice in their lives; but they are not considered as genuine Hogwarts applicants, because they simply do not have enough power to continuously use it. Those few Muggles who perform magic once or twice in their lives generally do not realise what they have done and carry on their lives as if nothing had happened.

'That is all there is to say; you were simply lucky your cousin decided to use his little magical power the moment you all were in danger.

'Well, Dempster, I think we don't have to say anything else any more. We're leaving.'

With these words, Gawain Robards stood up, nodded shortly in order to say good bye, and then left the kitchen.

Wiggleworth gazed at the open kitchen door for a few seconds, then stood up, saying, 'Pleasure it was to meet you all, I'm disappointed it was for such a sad matter... Anyway, good day to you all, or rather, good night.'

He crammed the parchments and the quill into his suitcase and followed Robards out of the kitchen.

Everyone in there, except Aunt Petunia, was taken aback by the sudden leave of the two authorities. Ron's mouth was slightly open.

Harry couldn't quite believe that the investigation was over already - no one had heard that Ron had been cursed with the Cruciatus and that Harry had been lying on the floor, not able to defend himself...

Bitterly, Harry thought that the Ministry was a bunch of idiots. It had been while Fudge had been Minister for Magic, and it hadn't changed since Scrimgeour was Minister.

On her chair, for the first time that night, Aunt Petunia started crying.

Mrs Weasley looked around her kitchen, obviously feeling uncomfortable. She turned to face Ron and Harry.

'I think it would be best if you two went to bed; I don't want any of you to fall asleep during the ceremony.'

Harry looked at Ron, who looked just as surprised as Harry did. With all the tumult that had been going on that very night, they had both completely forgotten that they would have been at the Burrow anyway, for Ron's oldest brother's wedding.

'I think it would be best if you two stayed in Fred and George's room, because I've got Fleur's brother and sister in your room, Ron, and Mr and Mrs Delacour are in Percy's bedroom -'

'Does that mean Percy's not going to come to the wedding?' Ron asked his mother.

Mrs Weasley lowered her head. 'No, he won't.'

'Git,' Ron said under his breath.

'Remus, Tonks – will you two keep an eye on Mrs Dursley while I help Ron and Harry with the bedroom?'

'Of course, Molly,' Lupin said.

Mrs Weasley nodded, thanking him, and left the room, followed by Harry and Ron.

'Please be quiet,' she said while climbing the stairs to the second floor, 'everyone else is sleeping right now and I don't want to upset Bill and Fleur, they were so tense the last few days, of course—who wouldn't be with the wedding coming up...

'Right, here we are.'

The Weasley twins' room was just as messy as it had been one year before. There were still loads of boxes everywhere in the room, some of them sealed with Spellotape while others were bursting open with pointed objects, smaller boxes, and bright colourful items.

With a swish of her wand, Mrs Weasley changed the blankets on the beds; then she turned to Harry and Ron. 'All right, I'll go back to the kitchen now, and you two, go to sleep.'

'Mrs Weasley?' Harry said.

'Yes, dear?'

'I just wanted to know what's going to happen to my aunt.'

Mrs Weasley smiled weakly. 'I don't know, Harry. I don't think she'll be able to stay here, but I doubt that she'll want to go back to Privet Drive. We'll think of something.'

She was already standing in the doorway when she turned around one last time.

'I'm so glad you're both all right.'

Without further ado she closed the door and left Harry and Ron in Fred and George's bedroom.

Ron sat down on one of the two beds, frowning slightly.

'I just can't really believe it all happened today,' he said.

Harry nodded while taking off his jumper. 'I know,' he said. 'Dudley and Uncle Vernon—' Harry stopped, shuddering. 'Well—I'll never see them again. It feels… odd.'

He could not quite articulate the muddled mass of feelings inside him. Ron took off his shoes and then stretched.

They lay down. Harry fell asleep, right after he had closed his eyes.

He did not dream that night.

* * *

TBC in Chapter III, _A Wet Wedding_, in which Hermione comes to the Burrow, Harry and Ron meet Fleur's mother Yolande and her brother Sébastien and Harry brings Hermione up-to-date in terms of what has happened so far.

Thanks to my three reviewers - go and leave another one, pretty pretty please :)


	3. A Wet Wedding

**Title: Harry Potter and the Wrought Iron Witch**

**Author: ebilein**

**Spoilers: PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP, HBP, QA, FB**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Most (or rather, pretty much all) of the characters, including but not limited to Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, Lily, Ginny etc., are (c) J.K.Rowling. I'm only have a little bit fun with them, no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

- CHAPTER THREE -

_**A Wet Wedding**_

'Wake up! Wake up! Come on, there's less than three hours left!'

Harry blinked when the curtains of the bedroom were opened rapidly.

'Not quite the weather I've hoped for, but it was already gloomy yesterday, so not really a surprise - what are you waiting for?'

Hermione Granger, Ron's girlfriend and Harry's best female friend, was standing in front of their beds, her hands stemmed into her waist.

'I've already told you, less than three hours to go, I've only just arrived, I thought you were already up! Anyway, three hours... you still have to dress, and to meet Fleur's parents, and you've got to tell me what happened yesterday, so one could probably say you're in a hurry.'

Ron pulled the cushion he was lying on over his head.

'Not quite the welcome I was hoping for, but well,' Hermione said, scowling at Ron's cushion.

Harry yawned while sitting up on his bed. He cast a look at Hermione. She had already smoothened her hair, like she had done for the Yule Ball at Hogwarts. She wasn't, however, yet in her dress robes.

She sat down on Harry's bed.

'I asked Ron's mother what had happened, but she wouldn't tell me... And I saw your aunt, she was departing when I arrived, and Mrs Weasley wouldn't say anything but that she wanted to go back to where it happened... You aunt looked horrible, her eyes were all red, as if she had cried the whole night, and I think she was crying when she left, too,' she said.

Harry nodded.

He looked out of the window for a few moments. The sky was covered with gloomy clouds behind which the sun was hidden; it was not raining, however.

'We were attacked by Death Eaters,' Harry said finally.

Hermione gasped, thrusting her hand in front of her mouth.

Ron started snoring again.

'There were three - the Lestranges. Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan. They tortured Ron with the Cruciatus Curse. I lost my wand. Bellatrix, she performed Legilimency. She saw Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's locket, Voldemort's snake... But she doesn't know those are Horcruxes. She only asked me why I had her master's snake in my head.

'Then Dudley seized my wand. He performed magic.'

'_What?'_ Hermione said, unbelieving.

Harry nodded. 'This guy, Robards, told me afterwards how he could have done this.'

'Robards - Gawain Robards?'

Harry looked at Hermione inquiringly. 'You know this guy?'

'Of course!' Hermione said. 'Don't you? He succeeded Scrimgeour as Head of the Aurors.' She looked at him, worried. 'I've heard he has quite a nasty temper.'

'Yeah, he has,' Harry said. 'If I didn't know Ron's dad, I would think that the whole Ministry is full of jerks. I mean, look at Fudge. He wouldn't believe Voldemort was back. Then Scrimgeour - arresting innocent people so that it looks like they've got everything under control. And Umbridge - I suppose I don't have to remind you, do I?'

Hermione shook her head, biting her lips. When Harry wouldn't continue talking about what had happened, she asked, 'Where's Dudley now? It must have been quite a shock for him to do magic...'

Now it was Harry's turn to bite his lips. 'He - he's dead.'

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. It seemed as if she didn't know what to say.

'He's not the only one, though,' Harry added. 'Uncle Vernon... well, he's dead too.'

It wasn't easy to say it, Harry thought, but it was a lot easier than when Sirius had died. He didn't feel empty, as he had done then, he didn't really ask why this had to happen - it was because of him, he thought, because the Death Eaters had been looking for him, and because of Bellatrix, because it was her with her unpredictable temper who had murdered him, but most of all, it had happened because of Voldemort.

'Oh Harry,' Hermione said, turning closer and hugging him. 'This must be so terrible for you.'

The door opened and Harry and Hermione drove apart.

'Oh - sorry, I didn't want to interrupt.'

Harry looked at the person standing in the door. His heart gave a jolt.

There she was standing, with her long red hair, shining slightly in the dusty light of the house, freckles all over her nose, smiling.

'Hi, Ginny,' Harry said.

'You didn't interrupt,' Hermione said.

'Ron's still sleeping, isn't he?' Ginny said laughing. 'Nothing could ever wake him up, I doubt if even an Fwooper's Song might make it.'

Harry and Hermione started laughing, too.

'You don't mind if I sit down here?' Ginny asked, closing the door behind her. 'It's just... well, Fleur and Gabrielle and Yolande and mum are down in the kitchen, and I just couldn't bear it anymore... women,' she added, shaking her head.

'Yolande?' Harry asked, surprised while Ginny sat down on Ron's bed. He had never heard this name before.

'Fleur's mother,' Hermione said. 'Are they still fighting about the soup? They were when I arrived,' Hermione said.

'No,' Ginny answered, 'they've moved on to the cheese.'

'How many people are going to come to the wedding?' Harry asked.

'Oh, quite a few,' Ginny said. 'Mostly people from the Order... I think Bill has invited some of his charm-breaker pals... and Fleur's folks, of course.'

Ginny finished her sentence screwing up her face.

'You don't like them?' Harry asked, surprised. 'I mean, they're not as bad as Fleur, possibly, are they?'

Ginny shook her head. 'You've got to meet them - they're _way_ worse. I don't want to offend any of them, though... I think that might ruin Bill's big day.'

'Can't one person sleep in here?' Ron said, sitting up angry, his ears in a dark shade of red.

'Good morning to you too, brother,' Ginny said pertly. 'Very nice of you, considering we haven't seen each other for a month.'

When Ron wouldn't say anything but kept glaring at her, she said, 'Well, I think I'm going to go to my room if I'm not welcome here.'

She got up and left the room, banging the door shut.

'I think Ginny's right,' Hermione said, getting up as well. 'If you don't want us to keep you company, Ron, then we better shouldn't.'

She left the room as well, but closed the door quietly.

Ron looked as if he wanted to slap himself.

At twelve o'clock Harry and Ron left Fred and George's bedroom. Harry was wearing his green dress robes, while Ron was wearing blue ones - the dress robes Ron had once worn, dreadful brown ones with frills that did indeed look rather like a dress, they had crammed back into Ron's trunk.

Hedwig and Pig, Harry and Ron's owls, as well as all their possessions had been brought to the Burrow while they had been sleeping, but they had not started to unpack; Harry was not sure when he would be going to Godric's Hollow, but he knew it was to be soon and he didn't want to make himself feel too comfortable at the Burrow.

They entered the kitchen where they saw Mrs Weasley and another woman cooking of whom they were sure that it was Yolande. They were flashing and flicking their wands so fast Harry felt quite dizzy just because of looking at it.

'Er... mum?' Ron said faintly.

Mrs Weasley turned around, not ceasing to move her wand. 'Yes, dear? Oh, of course, you haven't met yet, did you? Er... Yolande? Yolande?'

Yolande turned around and Harry instantly knew who had given Fleur her gorgeous looks.

Although Yolande Delacour was surely not a year younger than Mrs Weasley she looked quite different; her hair was long and bright blonde, just like Fleur's, her eyes were of a light shade of blue, her skin was fair, however not pale, and her hands moved with elegance and grace.

'May I introduce you to my son and his friend?' Mrs Weasley said slowly and punctuated.

Yolande nodded. Her hair moved and seemed to shine brightly in the small dark kitchen.

'This is Ron,' Mrs Weasley said, 'my youngest son -'

'It is a pleasure to meet you,' Yolande said, curtseying.

Ron wasn't able to say anything. He gawped at Yolande, not even blinking.

'And this - this is his best friend, Harry,' Mrs Weasley continued, 'Harry Potter, I'm sure you've heard of him.'

''Arry Potter!' Yolande said, gasping and stopping to flick her wand. The dishes behind her fell to the floor and crashed. 'I am so... I do not what to say - ze legendary 'Arry Potter! _Quelle surprise de le voir ici!_'

She curtseyed to him, too, while Mrs Weasley took care of the smashed dishes.

'I know zat you 'ave met my two daughters yet, do you not 'ave?' Yolande said and Harry nodded. Ron blinked, shaking his head, obviously getting rid of the Veela-effect of Fleur's mother. 'But I do not zeenk zat you 'ave met my son yet... Sébastien! SÉBASTIEN! _Sébastien, viens tout de suite!'_

Yolande seemed to have completely forgotten about preparing the food for the wedding. She was staring at Harry, searching for the scar on his forehead.

'Did you know zat you are also very well known in France?' Yolande asked.

'Er... no, I didn't,' Harry said. He felt uncomfortable, as always, when people were staring at his bolt-shaped scar.

'_Ouais, maman, qu'est-ce qu'il y a?'_

Harry and Ron turned around, taken by surprise by the unknown voice that sounded behind them, talking in a language they couldn't understand.

Sébastien Delacour did look neither like one of his two sisters nor like his mother. He had to have, Harry thought, the looks of his father, whom Harry - he was sure of it - would see quite soon, too.

He had short dark - almost black - hair, his face was pale and his eyes were dark and sunken in. He was very thin, but wearing many layers of dark shirts, robes and a cloak. His voice was harsh and loud. When he entered the room, he moved with a strange mix of grace and clumsiness.

'Sébastien, turn around and say 'ello to the last members of the family,' Yolande said, smiling gently.

'_Beuârk, combien de casse-pieds est-ce qu__'il y a dans cette famille?'_ Sébastien said harshly, screwing up his face.

'_Tais-toi, coquin!'_ Yolande said loudly. 'I 'ave to say sorry for my son, 'e does not speak English very well,' Yolande added in excuse. 'Zeese are... er... Mr Weasley, the youngest son of the Weasleys -'

Sébastien barely looked at Ron.

'- and zis is 'Arry Potter -'

Sébastien's face changed this very moment. He opened his eyes widely, looking inquiringly at Harry. His expression turned from sulking to admiration within seconds.

'_Ze_ 'Arry Potter?' he said.

Harry looked straight into Sébastien's eyes.

'It seems so,' he said coldly. He couldn't help it but he felt strange around this guy.

'Yet again, I 'ave to excuse for my son's manners,' Yolande said appeasing. ''Arry, Weasley - zis is my only son, Sébastien Telesphore Delacour.'

Sébastien bowed to them while his mother spoke.

'It is a pity you did not meet 'im when Fleur was champion for Beauxbatons and we came to watch ze third task, but 'e was in France busy studying for his exams. 'E is very conscientious and I am sure all of you will 'ave a very good time.'

Yolande was beaming at her Harry, Ron and her son.

Suddenly the kitchen door burst open again and Mr Weasley entered with his glasses askew. 'Sébastien, please, your dad and I need your help... Molly, if you could come, too, please, I think there's something wrong with the chairs, a Gnome tried to sit down on one of them and... well, I don't want to say it in front of the children - oh,' he said, his eyes meeting Harry and Ron, 'you two are up, very good - oh, and Yolande, please, could you continue cooking? The guests are coming at one o'clock, I think, with the ceremony starting at two and everything...'

The kitchen emptied itself within seconds, leaving behind only Harry, Ron and Yolande.

'Do you need any help, Mrs Delacour?' Harry asked.

'Oh, no, thank you very much, I'll be all right,' Yolande said. 'You could go and say 'ello to my daughter Gabrielle, she is upstairs in - I think it is the old bedroom of one of the Weasley children.'

Ron gawped at Yolande, now, however, not because of her beauty but because she ignored him completely.

'Well, OK,' Harry said, 'I'll see if I can make it to... the old bedroom of one of the Weasley children.'

'Go and do that,' Yolande said, flashing her wand around.

'Can you believe them?' Ron said, looking deeply disturbed. 'All the Delacours seem to ignore me - all of them! Even this ugly Sébastien guy, he barely looked at me! As if I would look at him, though, I can't believe someone like him is in a family that consists of Fleur and Yolande...'

'But don't forget, Ron,' Harry said, 'Fleur's going to be your sister-in-law and Yolande is going to be your brother's mother-in-law. And it's not really that great, I think I got goose bumps when Fleur's brother looked at me... he's creepy, isn't he?'

'Yeah, he is... Wait, I think I hear Hermione...'

Ron stopped, waiting for a second and then knocking at the door.

'Are you mad?' Harry said furiously. 'You do know that this is -'

He didn't say the rest of the sentence because Ginny opened the door to her room. When she saw Ron, she looked at him emotionless. 'What do you want? Did you come to apologise?'

'No, I didn't come to apologise -' Ron started, but Ginny interrupted him, 'Why did you come, then?'

'I thought I heard Hermione's voice.'

Ginny closed the door for a moment. They could clearly hear her saying, 'Hermione, Ron's out there, do you want me to let him in?' Then Ginny returned to the doorframe. 'No, Hermione's not here. But I just thought,' she said, turning to Harry, 'that you could come in if you want.'

Harry smiled, but shook his head.

'Don't be childish,' he said, 'we've just been introduced to Yolande and Sébastien, so please, would you be as kind to let us in? Because otherwise we'd have to go to Gabrielle, as Yolande told us to.'

'All right,' Hermione said, appearing next to Ginny in the doorframe. 'You two may come in.'

'But please close the door quickly,' Ginny added, 'I want my room to stay Delacour-free.'

Harry had never before been to Ginny's bedroom. It wasn't big, but nevertheless inviting. The wands were covered with magical photos of the Weasleys, of Hogwarts and its students. Harry didn't look at it too carefully. The floor was covered with a big beige fluffy carpet on which Hermione sat down. Harry followed her example.

Both Hermione and Ginny were wearing their dress robes - Hermione was wearing pink ones, which were obviously new (because at the Yule Ball at Hogwarts she had worn blue ones), while Ginny was wearing bright green ones.

'I think they are all a little bit mad,' Ginny said, sitting down on her bed.

'I wouldn't say mad,' Hermione said, 'I think they're just a little bit excited with the wedding and everything.'

'Do you know Sébastien?' Harry asked Ginny.

'Well, not really... he usually scowls at everyone; he doesn't speak very much either. I think he's quite bright, though,' she said, shrugging.

'He looks so very unlike his sisters,' Hermione said. 'If I didn't know he was their brother...'

'He looks very much like his father,' Ginny said.

'Anyway,' Harry said, turning to Ron and Hermione. 'Er... well, I know you two probably don't want me to speak of it, with us just arriving here and everything, but, well... I've already spoken to Ron, Hermione, and we both have agreed that we're going to depart for Godric's Hollow sometime in the next two weeks.'

Hermione sighed quietly. 'That's quite soon. But I'll come along. After all, I've promised.'

Ginny looked at Harry, saying sadly, 'You know that I want to go with you, too -'

'No,' Harry and Ron said simultaneously.

'You're too young to leave school,' Ron said.

'We don't even know if it'll open again!' Ginny said desperately.

'But we don't want you to get hurt,' Harry said quietly. 'You know that we love you too m-- Well, we don't want you to get hurt. It would kill Ron, your whole family... and me,' he added inaudibly for the others under his breath.

Ginny nodded reluctantly.

'Then I'm going to go downstairs... help in the kitchen,' she said, getting up. 'I think mum'll want you downstairs at one o'clock, too, because Fred, George and Charlie have said that they'll come that time.'

'We'll be there,' Hermione said, and they watched Ginny leave the room.

'_So,'_ Ron said, turning to Hermione as soon as the door had closed, 'did you find out anything about R.A.B.?'

'Nothing,' Hermione said, watching her feet rather then looking at Harry or Ron. 'It's so difficult, but just as I told you, I've found a few names bearing those initials, but no one seems to have a connection to V-Voldemort.' She cast a look at her wrist-watch. 'It is quarter to one,' she said, 'so we'll only have about fifteen minutes to discuss everything, you know... we'd better hurry.'

She turned to Harry.

'Now please tell me everything about Bellatrix performing Legilimency.'

'I didn't really realise what she did until it was too late,' Harry said. 'And like I've told you before, I don't think she understood what these things meant. I don't think she knows about Horcruxes.'

'But she surely has gone to V-Voldemort? I mean, if she saw _his_ snake in _your_ head -' Hermione said, but Harry interrupted her.

'I don't think Voldemort would suspect me to know about Horcruxes. He must think no one knows about them. And of course I would know about his snake, I've seen her when he came back, in the graveyard, and I've been inside her, don't you remember? When I had that dream about biting your father, Ron...'

'Yes,' Hermione said, 'but still, don't you think if she talked to Voldemort, speaking about lockets and cups and his snake, that he would get suspicious? After all it's _you_ who will defeat him, and if _you_ know about him producing Horcruxes -'

'I've been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse,' Ron said dully.

Hermione looked at him in shock.

'You were?'

Ron nodded.

Hermione approached him, thrusting her arms around him, hugging him; but after a few seconds she let go, saying, 'That's terrible, but there are more important things to talk about now.'

Ron looked at her, disgruntled, but didn't say anything.

'I know you don't want to talk about it,' Hermione said, 'but Snape -'

'Yeah, you're right, I don't want to talk about him,' Harry said.

Just the thought of Snape made his insides burn with fury; the ugly face with the long nose, the long, greasy black hair, the dark eyes, the black cloaks, the infuriating sneer... Harry loathed this former Potions and Defence against the Dark Arts teacher with every fibre of his body.

'Dumbledore confided so many things to him, concerning the Order, concerning the school...' Hermione said, shaking her head.

'Dumbledore trusted Snape completely,' Ron said.

'And now that Snape is on Voldemort's side, Voldemort knows everything Snape knows,' Harry said.

They were silent for a few minutes, until Ron said, 'What are we going to do after visiting your parents' grave?'

Harry didn't answer for a few seconds. He knew it wouldn't be easy.

'We're going back to Hogwarts,' he said.

Ron and Hermione gasped.

'You mean like - like school?' Hermione said.

Harry shook his head. 'Ron, you should at least know why... you were there... Kreacher, he visited us on my birthday. He said Slughorn sent him. Kreacher said that McGonagall wanted to talk to me as soon as possible.'

'Oh,' Ron said. Harry knew Ron was disappointed.

'After all, we don't even know if the school is going to open again,' Hermione tried to comfort herself.

Harry bit his lip. Both his best friends had promised that they would go with him, wherever he wanted to go in order to stop Voldemort, but he knew that they still hoped to be able to return to Hogwarts. He wasn't angry with them; after all, he himself wanted to go back there, although he knew it would never ever be the same without Dumbledore. But Harry couldn't possibly return to Hogwarts... he didn't have time... there were still four Horcruxes out there, four items engraved with four parts of Voldemort's soul... and if anyone wanted to stop Voldemort, they had to destroy these four Horcruxes first before even attempting to finish Voldemort himself.

Harry knew what these items were: The Locket of Slytherin, that had been stolen from it's place by a person with the initials R.A.B., the Cup of Hufflepuff, then something of Ravenclaw's or Gryffindor's, and Voldemort's snake Nagini.

Harry had learnt all this in his lessons with Albus Dumbledore, the former Headmaster of Hogwarts. Dumbledore had been the greatest wizard of his time, and the only one Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of.

Dumbledore had shown Harry everything about Voldemort's past, starting with his mother, Merope Gaunt, and his father, a Muggle called Tom Riddle; about Voldemort's school years, when he had learnt of the existence of Horcruxes from his teacher Horace Slughorn; about the years after his school, when he had collected Hufflepuff's Cup and Slytherin's Locket; about Voldemort trying to be a teacher in Hogwarts, and - when Dumbledore refused - starting a curse that would last until these days, that not one teacher of the subject Defence against the Dark Arts would stay longer at Hogwarts than for a year.

'It's nearly one o'clock,' Hermione said, standing up. 'We'd better go downstairs.'

When they had reached the end of the stairs, Harry and Ron saw - for the first time since they had arrived at the Burrow - the groom, Ron's eldest brother Bill.

Bill, a tall man in his mid-twenties, had once been a very good-looking guy; Harry suddenly remembered the first time they had seen each other. It had been before the Quidditch World Cup: Bill had had long red hair, bond together in a ponytail, he had worn boots made out of dragon leather and had seemed very much like a person who did whatever he liked to do.

However, in June, when Death Eaters had invaded Hogwarts School, Fenrir Greyback, a savage werewolf, had attacked Bill and not even Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts nurse, had been able to heal Bill's wounds thoroughly; it had also been this day in June that Snape had killed Dumbledore.

Now, having Bill stand there in green dress robes, Harry thought smiling weakly that Fleur Delacour had tamed him.

'You look better, Bill,' Ron said.

Bill's face was scarred thoroughly and reminded Harry rather of Mad-Eye Moody, an Auror that worked for the Order, although Bill's nose didn't lack a big chunk.

'Congratulations,' Hermione said.

Bill grinned broadly.

'Thanks, Hermione,' he said. 'You can't imagine how much I've been looking forward to this day... Ah,' he said, turning to the front door, 'I think I've heard someone Apparate - well, do you want to go with me and welcome our guests?'

'Of course,' Ron said, now also smiling widely.

Fred and George Weasley were standing in yard, behind them the girl Harry, Ron and Hermione knew from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

'Hey, bro',' Fred said, coming nearer and hugging Bill, 'can't believe you're going to marry today -'

'And most of all,' George added, 'can't believe _whom_ you're going to marry today - let's face it, you're going to have the prettiest wife seen in the Weasley family _ever_.'

'Don't let mum hear that, though,' Fred grinned. 'Er - Bill, that's Verity - come on, honey, don't be so shy... Verity, that's my brother, Bill, he's the one who's going to marry.'

'So you're his girlfriend?' Bill asked Verity, who nodded. 'All right, but be aware of Fred - you never know what he's up to... And don't test anything he gives to you unless they're already selling it.'

'All right,' Verity said, 'I'll be a good girl.'

This second another person appeared with a _crack_.

Charlie Weasley, the second-eldest son of the Weasleys, had just appeared on the street. He started running, approaching the Burrow. Then he hugged Bill, while Verity noticed Harry. She was, however, consequently pulled away into the house by Fred before she could say anything.

It was fun welcoming all the guests that appeared during the next half hour. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Bill never were alone outside; sometimes five persons appeared at once, coming nearer, talking merrily. They saw members of the Order of the Phoenix, notably Mad-Eye Moody, Lupin, Tonks and Shacklebolt; every now and then also a family appeared, looking around astonished, talking French; then there were some people who had gone to school with Bill and a few funny fellows that Bill called 'The Curse Breaker Boys'.

At quarter to two, Bill, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Burrow again, accompanied by an old, shaking woman with long, blonde hair who had introduced herself as 'Zephyrine Salomé Odette Bélain' and who obviously was Fleur's grandmother.

People were standing and sitting in the backyard where about thirty chairs were facing an arch, leaving an aisle in the middle; the arch the chairs were facing had been decorated with all kinds of flowers, even some which would normally not blossom in August: roses and lilies and daisies and snowdrops and tulips and irises in all colours imaginable were facing defiantly the grey cloudy sky.

Yolande and a tall man with dark hair, whom Harry was sure to be Fleur's father, were just welcoming the old lady Bélain that had followed Harry, Ron and Hermione into the garden; Mrs Weasley and her husband were talking lively to the twins and Verity, who seemed to try and make a very good impression; the Curse Breaker Boys seemed to enjoy watching the Gnomes, little ugly creatures with heads shaped like potatoes, chase each other around the little pond in the Weasleys' garden, while the members of the Order of the Phoenix were muttering quietly, standing apart from the rest of the guests.

Five minutes before two o'clock the people began to sit down, staring apprehensively at the gloomy sky.

'I just hope it won't start raining,' Hermione said, sitting down in the first row next to Verity. 'But it's only the ceremony that's going to be held outside, is it? The meal afterwards is in the house?'

Harry and Ron sat down, too.

'I don't know,' Ron said. 'But I don't think all these people would fit in our kitchen.'

Sébastien came out of the house, walking along the aisle towards his father and mother, who were standing on the right side of the arch, facing the guests (Mr and Mrs Weasley were on the left). Sébastien stopped next to his parents.

When everyone had sat down (Moody helped old Mrs Bélain who didn't seem to be too flexible anymore) and the talking had ceased, Mr Delacour flicked his wand.

A soft, slow music started to play, and all the people's heads turned backwards.

Ginny and Gabrielle appeared, wearing bright green dresses, holding small baskets filled with blooms they dropped while approaching the arch. Behind them, Bill and Fleur appeared; Fleur was wearing a wide red dress with a long train and in her bright blonde hair a tiara was shining Harry knew she had got from Mr Weasley's sister Muriel; Fleur was holding a bouquet with red roses, and both Fleur and Bill smiled widely as they, too, approached the arch.

'Shouldn't there be a priest?' Harry asked Ron quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the surrounding guests by interrupting the lovely music.

'This is a wizard wedding,' Ron answered just as quietly. 'It's the parents who act as priests.'

Ginny and Gabrielle stopped by their parents' side, but Bill and Fleur moved on to the arch.

Mr Delacour flicked his wand again and the music stopped.

It was quiet for a few seconds. Then Mr Delacour and Mr Weasley started to talk simultaneously, 'We have come together today in order to bind two souls who no longer wish to exist without the other, and without the other these two souls shall no longer wish but cease to exist.'

Now Yolande and Mrs Weasley spoke, again in chorus, 'These souls shall never be ripped apart by anything but death, and until death nothing shall ever rip them apart.'

Mr Delacour and Mr Weasley turned around, each one approaching the other one's descendant.

'Take your right hands.'

Bill and Fleur did as they were told.

'Belle Fleur Antoinette Delacour, I, anon thy father, ask thee,' Mr Weasley said, and suddenly his voice was deep and solemn, 'art thou willing to ne'er betray my son?'

'I am,' Fleur said.

Mr Weasley flicked his wand and white light shone from it.

Now Mr Delacour spoke. 'Bill Fabian Weasley, I, anon thy father, ask thee, art thou willing to ne'er betray my daughter?'

'I am,' Bill said, and just like Mr Weasley Mr Delacour flicked his wand, letting it shine with bright white light.

Yolande and Mrs Weasley now approached their own children.

'Take your left hands,' they said, and Fleur and Bill did as they were told to.

'Belle Fleur Antoinette Delacour,' Yolande said, 'I, for aye thy mother, ask thee, beest thou willing to swear by the welkin's stars the Vow of Love?'

'I am,' Fleur said again, and Yolande swished her wand, that yet again burst out white light.

Mrs Weasley smiled but also cried when she asked her son. 'Bill Fabian Weasley, I, for aye thy mother, ask thee, beest thou willing to swear by the welkin's stars the Vow of Love?'

'I am,' Bill said, nodding.

Mrs Weasley flicked her wand, and a last jet of bright white light lit the arch. It was painful to keep watching all this dazzling light. The Weasleys and the Delacours had vanished from sight; just Bill and Fleur were visible, standing alone in the pulsating flashes of brightness.

Then Bill and Fleur spoke concurrently, 'We utter the Vow of Love, ne'er to counterfeit, ne'er to betray our other soul, ne'er to mew it up, ne'er to fleer at it, ne'er to beshrew it, our new and only ally, to save it withal my life! By my troth, the Vow of Love!'

Then a shadowy figure appeared in all the light - Sébastien. He spoke with a clear voice, 'By my faith! This likes me well. Thou, for aye my sister, and thou, anon my brother, take these rings! Ere this bond doth end, the welkin's glistering stars will fall!'

And while he put the rings onto Bill's and Fleur's fingers, the parents yelled on top of their voices, 'These gyves of gaud suit you! Ere this bond doth end, the welkin's glistering stars will fall!'

There was a last pulsating flash of white light that lit all and everything, and then it started to rain.

* * *

TBC in Chapter IV, _The Apparition Applicants_, in which Harry and Ron finally take their Apparition tests and HRH overhear an interesting conversation between Dawlish and Robards.

Thanks to my reviewers - go and leave another one, pretty pretty please :)


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